Dreaming for 10,000 years

Chapter 374 Escape
Linghu Chong felt that this place was incredibly real.

Perhaps he was never a disciple of the Huashan Sect. Perhaps he never even set foot in the martial world. Perhaps he never had a junior sister or fellow disciples, just a person in the desert with no past.

He was born in the desert, and he will die in the desert.

"You..." Lu Xiaofeng sighed when he saw Linghu Chong like this and said, "You're running away."

Linghu Chong shook his head: "I have no choice but to run away."

Escaping is not the solution, but it is an option.

Lu Xiaofeng said, "You don't actually want to be the head of the Huashan Sect."

Linghu Chong shut his mouth.

Lu Xiaofeng said, "You don't actually agree with your master's views or his philosophy."

Two people who enjoy drinking naturally have nothing to hide. He was well aware of Linghu Chong's life on Mount Hua.

Linghu Chong said, "I have great respect for my master."

Lu Xiaofeng pointed out incisively, "But you still associate with bandits, like Tian Boguang. This shows that you still have your own ideas and don't just blindly follow what your master says."

“You live a very repressed life,” Lu Xiaofeng said again.

Suppressed? Linghu Chong was stunned. As the top disciple of Mount Hua, he had always considered himself to "strictly abide by the sect rules and set an example for his fellow disciples," and regarded his master's teachings as the golden rule. But wasn't that Linghu Chong, who indulged in drinking and singing and acted on impulse, the real him?
Lu Xiaofeng suddenly grinned and said, "I've seen it all along. You're actually a bit like me; we're both playboys."

"A prodigal son?" Linghu Chong had never imagined that the word "prodigal son" would be associated with him. According to his preconceived notions, his nickname in the martial arts world should be "Little Gentleman Sword," only in this way could he be worthy of the title "Gentleman Sword."

Lu Xiaofeng nodded and said, "Yes! Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten along so well."

He and Linghu Chong were indeed very compatible; both were unpretentious, sincere, and enjoyed drinking and joking. However, he was also quite different from Linghu Chong.

Linghu Chong was constantly struggling with contradictions: he longed for seclusion, yet was bound by the ethics of master-disciple relations; he wanted to act freely, yet couldn't let go of his responsibilities.

If he were a vulgar person chasing fame and fortune, that would be one thing, but he is not.

Lu Xiaofeng was open-minded. He had witnessed too much life and death, so he no longer agonized over it. He wanted to follow his own will and live for himself.

The most crucial difference is that Linghu Chong mostly makes passive choices, while Lu Xiaofeng takes initiative. This is the biggest difference between the two.

So although Linghu Chong was a few years older than Lu Xiaofeng, Lu Xiaofeng was much more mature than Linghu Chong psychologically.

Before Linghu Chong could say anything more, he heard Lu Xiaofeng say, "Have you ever felt that sometimes you feel out of place in the martial arts world?"

Linghu Chong's heart skipped a beat

He did indeed have this dilemma. He clearly preferred to just drink and practice swordsmanship every day, but he was the senior disciple of the Huashan Sect and had to shoulder the responsibilities of Huashan.

He clearly loved his junior sister Yue Lingshan, but because she was his master's daughter, he dared not confess his feelings. He only wanted to live a simple life, yet he was caught in many whirlpools, drifting with the tide.

In the end, he suffered a crushing defeat, his martial arts were crippled, and he was expelled from his sect. He longed to return to the Huashan Sect, but he also did not want the Huashan Sect to be involved in the turmoil of the martial arts world.

"The world is a dangerous place, and people's hearts are unpredictable." When Lu Xiaofeng said this, he sounded nothing like an eighteen-year-old boy.

“If you don’t stir up trouble in the martial world, someone else will! So, when facing the martial world, you have to muddy the waters.” Lu Xiaofeng said, a smile appearing on his lips. “I like to stand up for what’s right and mind my own business. That’s why people call me Lu San Dan (Lu the Third Egg), a bastard, an idiot, a penniless pauper, but I enjoy it. Because I’m different from everyone else in the martial world!”

"I am Lu Xiaofeng, loved by everyone!"

At that moment, Linghu Chong felt that Lu Xiaopang was like a great hero! Who says a great hero can't be fat?

But... Linghu Chong didn't want to be a great hero.

"I...I don't know what I want to do either." Linghu Chong muttered to himself, "I thought my life was to be the leader of the Huashan Sect, but I..."

Lu Xiaofeng patted Linghu Chong on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it. If you want to be the leader of the Huashan Sect, then do it. If you don't want to be the leader, then live the life you want."

"What kind of life do you want to live?" Lu Xiaofeng asked.

Linghu Chong looked around at the oasis under the moonlight, the newly planted saplings, and the simple thatched huts. "This kind of life is good enough."

What would be torture for others is just right for him.

"Then what are you still hesitating about!" Lu Xiaofeng said, puzzled.

Sometimes he doesn't quite understand what makes the dog struggle.

"But I can no longer distinguish between reality and dreams," Linghu Chong said with a bitter smile. What he thought was reality was gradually fading away, while what he thought was a "dream" was becoming more and more real.

"To hell with reality and dreams, I'll live each day to the fullest!" Lu Xiaofeng said nonchalantly.

He once starved and only ate earthworms, and he still survived, didn't he?

“You’ve had it too easy and haven’t experienced real hardship, that’s why you’re so conflicted!” Lu Xiaofeng said with a smile. “Once you’ve tasted real suffering, you won’t have to be conflicted anymore.”

People who are overly sentimental and conflicted haven't truly hit rock bottom; otherwise, they would be conflicted. Therefore, in his view, the martial world Linghu Chong inhabits is neither truly martial nor dangerous, but rather utterly unremarkable.

Linghu Chong remained silent for a long time, then his Adam's apple bobbed suddenly, and he asked abruptly, "Is there any more wine?"

At that moment, he suddenly wanted to drink.

"Hey! You come here every day to mooch drinks, do you think I'm some kind of big shot?" Lu Xiaofeng said irritably, "There are two innate gods and demons here!"

Shi Fei had set a rule: they would drink once every seven days. On that day, they would secretly hide some alcohol, and Shi Fei would always pretend not to see it. But for the two drunkards, having that little bit of alcohol last for six days was more agonizing than trekking through the desert.

"Alright, let's get some rest." Linghu Chong sighed. He had already consumed his last drop of wine the day before yesterday, and yesterday he had even gotten some from Lu Xiaofeng.

"Sleep my ass!" Lu Xiaofeng turned and went back into the house, his pockmarked face full of fighting spirit. "I'm going to study this 'Ten Thousand Sets of Martial Arts' all night long!"

Linghu Chong shook his head and chuckled, about to push open his door, when he suddenly heard a sharp whooshing sound from the sky. He looked up abruptly and saw a dark shadow piercing the moonlight, falling rapidly.

"There's something there!" he shouted sharply.
Before the words were finished, a loud bang shook the courtyard. Amidst the flying dust, the sea buckthorn tree in the corner of the yard, which was about two people tall, shook violently, and a dark shadow was hanging among its branches.

Lu Xiaofeng rushed out in one stride, still clutching the manual in his hand: "What the hell—" His voice trailed off.

Because he saw a person, or rather, a child. What was even stranger was that the child had a monkey-like tail.

(End of this chapter)